Mulligatawny hails straight from the days of the Empire. Originally, this recipe came from Sri Lanka (or Ceylon, as it would have been known in the days of the Raj). Mulligatawny roughly translates to "firewater", which gives you an idea of what the finished soup ought to be like!

It shouldn't be the super-thick, brown meaty concoction out of cans we grew up with, but instead a thin, aromatic and spicy soup, with small shards of tender meat and grains of just-cooked rice – you could call it a "drinking curry". Mulligatawny is perfect with venison, but feel free to use beef or lamb, and make it as hot (or not) as you like.

Heat the oil in a large, heavy, flameproof casserole on the hob. Add the garlic and onions and sweat over a medium heat for 10 minutes. Remove the softened onions and garlic from the pan and put to one side.

Add the mince to the pan and cook for 10 minutes, until well browned. Add the onions back in with all the spices, the curry and bay leaves and the chillies. Stir well and cook for 5 minutes over a medium heat. Add the tomato ketchup and pour in the stock. Bring to the boil, then simmer gently for 1 hour, covered, and taste for seasoning – you will need quite a lot of seasoning to get the most out of this soup.

Add the rice and cook for a further 15 minutes. Remove the chillies and cinnamon stick. Serve hot with glasses of cold lager.